New Delhi: The Sanchar Saathi mobile application is not mandatory and can be deleted from smartphones, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday, amid a growing privacy debate.
Speaking to the media, Scindia emphasised that keeping the app is entirely optional for users. “If you don’t want Sanchar Saathi, you can delete it. It is optional… It is our duty to introduce this app to everyone. Keeping it in their devices or not is up to the user,” he said. The Minister also clarified that the platform “does not enable snooping or call monitoring.”
The clarification comes after the Centre’s decision to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all new mobile handsets manufactured or imported for use in India sparked concerns over privacy.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the move, calling it a “violation of privacy and a step toward authoritarian governance.”
The government, however, maintained that the initiative is intended to protect citizens from buying non-genuine mobile devices and to curb cyber fraud.
According to guidelines issued on November 28, mobile manufacturers and importers are required to ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi app is visible and accessible to end-users at the time of first use or device setup. The app’s functionalities must not be disabled or restricted.
For devices already manufactured and available in sales channels in India, manufacturers and importers are required to push the app through software updates. Implementation must be completed within 90 days, with a report submitted within 120 days.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said the Sanchar Saathi initiative aims to curb the misuse of telecom resources for cyber fraud and ensure telecom cybersecurity.
The DoT also noted that some app-based communication services using Indian mobile numbers allow users to access services without the underlying Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) in the device. This feature is reportedly being misused to commit cyber frauds, particularly from outside the country.
The issue of SIM binding in messaging apps and its misuse has been highlighted by multiple government bodies and an inter-ministerial group.
With IANS inputs